


Another Bridge to Throw Yourself Off

by Sharkseye



Category: Supernatural, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Assisted Suicide, Gen, Kinda, Reconciliation, Slight Comfort, Vessels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-21
Updated: 2014-04-21
Packaged: 2018-01-20 07:02:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1501169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharkseye/pseuds/Sharkseye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Loki gets an offer from a very old friend, he finds he really doesn't want to refuse.  After all, in his life, good change is never permanent, and while it might last a while, old habits are so easy to fall back on.  So the only thing left now is time to say goodbye.</p><p>The pairings are written as platonic, though slash-goggles can be worn.  Coulson’s alive, though really background. You don't need to watch Supernatural to understand this, I'll write a little summary of 'need to know' in the end notes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Bridge to Throw Yourself Off

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline, this is set after Captain America: Winter Soldier, in a time where they've rehabilitated Bucky and he's good and with them and all, there shouldn't really be spoilers? But if there are let me know and I'll mark for them (Also, instead of the actual time after The Avengers, it only happened half a year later, same time as Thor 2). This is also set after Thor 2, but the ending didn't happen, and Thor figured out Loki tricked him when he reappeared on Earth to make havoc.

_“You do this for me, and I can give you exactly what you want.” The origin-less voice speaks directly into the mind of a green-clad man, for the first time in their long acquaintance asking for a trade of favors._

_“Oh? And pray tell, what is that?” The man replies scathingly, the scorn newly introduced._

_“Come on, I’ve known you for years. You want oblivion, a final end.” The answer is assured and causes silence for a beat before mocking laughter rings out_

_“Oblivion? You think I long for oblivion? I am—”_

_The tirade is cut off almost before it can begin, and the voice is as firm as it has so far been, contradictorily gentle. “When you dropped off that bridge four years ago, the only thing you were seeking was oblivion, and not a day goes by that you don’t regret being unsuccessful. You know there’s little in the nine realms that can kill you so you remain dead, and the creature from outside of them wants your screams rather than your life. Even before you actively sought your death you wanted an end to the mockery and lack of trust from those who were supposed to love you. You know it’s not going to change, especially not now, so if oblivion’s the only answer? I can give it to you. I need a vessel, you need to be able to not feel.”_

_This time the silence stretches on for longer, and when it ends the man has dropped the mocking tone that flavored his side of the conversation. “I will think about it.”_

~*~

 

Three years have passed since the Avengers became a team, two years since they moved into Stark Tower, one year since they gained an additional member in the form of Bucky Barnes, and throughout it all, they’re _still_ having to deal with the crazy murderer that brought them together in the first place. It was almost a bimonthly thing, though Loki had been spotted more often in the past month than the rest of the year so far.

Both Clint and Tony grumbled about it as they suited up, though the latter more out of exasperation rather than true hatred. Tony wouldn’t say he liked the insane supervillian, but come on, he has eyes, alright? And Loki is really easy on them, despite his love of throwing people out windows. Clint on the other hand was still furious at the sorcerer for taking over his mind, his fingers itching to put an arrow through either of his smug eyes, as distant as they’ve been lately. Fantasizing about such a thing, he sat in the jet with the rest of the Avengers minus Thor and Iron Man who were flying.

Steve was speaking with Bucky, their heads tucked closely together as they discussed dealing with Loki's latest scheme, the statues he had animated all over the city in his latest bid for world—well, whatever he was looking for these days. Natasha and Bruce were both silent, the superspy calmly listening to Clint’s grumbled rant about Loki while the scientist meditated, centering himself and the Hulk that lived within him. Were Thor on the plane he would be frowning and worrying, not being the _only_ one to notice Loki’s seeming lack of enthusiasm over the past few weeks he had turned up so often, but definitely the only one concerned about it for any personal reasons. As it was he was not on the jet with the rest of the Avengers, but out fighting the destruction causing statues, smashing as many as he could while his teammates flew to join him.

The flight didn’t take long, and soon all seven of them were fighting, collectively trying to figure out how to stop the statues that turned out to be self-repairing. The battle wasn’t one of the harder ones that Loki had been the cause of and though they all knew there would inevitably be civilian death, only once did an Avenger come near to it themselves. An ugly elephant statue coming in close enough on the heals of another one that Bucky didn’t have a chance to reload or dodge, only for Steve disarm himself by throwing Bucky his shield, fighting his way towards him with a piece of metal debris he found. A pair of thoughtful blue eyes left followed the pair for a couple seconds before Loki turned back to catch the kick Natasha had aimed at his head when she noticed his distraction. He almost seemed bored in fighting her and tossed her aside almost casually through the window of a store next to them. Barely moments later an arrow found its way towards Loki, being snatched out of the air and thrown away a millisecond too late to get it out of range for the explosion that threw the sorcerer down the street, rolling himself to his feet and coming face to face with Thor.

This fight was drawn out, both of the adoptive brothers fighting in a way that can only be truly achieved when both combatants had practiced together for years. Still, it ended the way it usually did, when Loki did not grow bored and teleport away or have some other clever scheme to incapacitate the stronger—though not necessarily better—fighter.

With magic-damping cuffs clasped around Loki’s wrists—creation of one Tony Stark—the statues stayed down when broken, and soon it was only a matter of shattering the remaining chunks of stone and leaving the rest for clean-up that went to nondescript agents from what remained of SHIELD. On the jet that they took back to Stark Tower, Loki didn’t speak a word, his eyes thoughtfully resting on each of the Avengers for arbitrary lengths of time. The sorcerer’s silence—not to mention the odd way he had been acting—set them all on edge and by the end of the flight even Tony’s increasingly ridiculous comments had a touch of uncertainty.

Continuing the trend they had started with Loki years before in the glass cage of the helicarrier, they put the sorcerer in another glass divided room in the basement of Stark Tower. It had enough room for a cell on one side and a person to pace on the other side of the glass, as well as cameras displaying everything that happened in a control room separated only by a door. Thor made attempts to talk to his brother during the move, but Loki ignored his words, only looking thoughtfully at his face, settling down to sit cross-legged in the middle of his cell. Eventually the thunderer was pulled out and the team had a quick discussion on what should be done with Loki considering they all thought him to have some greater scheme afoot. It was rather long and convoluted for the final simple decision of questioning. Having gotten secret information out of many villains before, Natasha was the one sent in to face the sorcerer, already prepared with her own lines of underhand questioning for whatever conversation Loki started.

However when it became clear that he was not in fact going to speak first, the Spider started off, still managing to make it seem like her own choice of timing. "Not only have you been around more, but you’ve been watching us all very closely the last couple times we’ve seen each other.” When there was no reply to this she continued. “I’ve noticed you have a special interest in Steve and Bucky.”

The large amount of attention he paid Thor was nothing unexpected, but she had seen his eyes following the two and knew that the three of them were at the heart of whatever plan Loki had going on.

Loki tilted his head to the side and watched her evenly, none of the madness the Avengers knew to be in him showing through. "When looking at either of them, it is impossible to not see the love they both hold for the each other, despite everything they've been through."

"Is that a threat?" Natasha asked softly, allowing her eyes to widen a little in the hopes of Loki once again misjudging her as young, something only Clint and Coulson didn’t slip up into doing, despite others dealing with her multiple times.

Irritatingly, her performance was completely ignored, and still no emotion crossed Loki’s face as he evenly replied, "You once told me that love is for children, Agent Romanoff, and it has been many thousands of years since I was a child, so do you believe that I do not love Thor? Or perhaps because contrary to the Soldier and his Captain, the choices that drove I and Thor apart were my own?"

"Do you love Thor?" She countered, not answering with the obvious as it would only make Loki mad. At least usually it would, she was the one almost off balance with the sorcerer acting the way he was.

"Though you mortals have somehow tempered Thor, four years is not enough to change the fact that he is arrogant, reckless, dangerous, and completely ignorant of those around him—” Loki cut himself off as anger seeped through his words and they grew faster, once again a blank slate as he continued quietly but firmly, “And both him and Frigga are the only Aesir I will love until the end of my life."

"You have an odd way of showing it" Natasha offered dryly, despite her leading of the conversation still not sure what the sorcerer meant by what he was saying, or if she was even the one leading anymore.

Perhaps if he was being nostalgic, they might be able to get Thor to persuade him to be neutral if not on their side. She was no fool, but Bucky had already proved that it wasn’t the worst thing to have an enemy working at their side, not to mention it was the smartest place for one, keeping them close. It was either that or they killed Loki, and the latter wasn’t something she thought Thor could be tricked into doing. Though perhaps the Hulk could get to him.

"As you do for Agents Barton and Coulson." His counter gave her pause, but then he shut his eyes and spoke no more.

After a few more minutes of her asking questions or commenting on topics that would normally get Loki riled up but now instead he stayed completely silent and unmoving, Natasha left, rejoining her teammates who stood uneasily outside, watching the screens. None of them knew what scheme Loki was playing with this new façade of calm, they could only assume it to be something terrible. Thor on the other hand was hopeful, ignoring the wary glances his teammates were sending him, unbelieving as they were of the Liesmith’s honesty.

“What do you think his plan is?” Steve was the first one to ask Natasha, his team leader tone fixed firmly in place, though worry and protectiveness screaming from his body language as he stood by Bucky. Nothing good could come out of a psychopathic murder talking about someone else’s love.

“I don’t know” Natasha admitted softly, sharing a glance with Clint.

Before more could be said on the subject Thor was already up and striding towards the door, ignoring the slim protest his teammates put up in order to face his brother through a wall of glass.

“I love you as well brother! Please, if it is as you say, and you hold the same love for me, stop this needless destruction so that we may be brothers once more!”

“Oh?” Loki asked, a jagged smile creeping across his face as he spoke without opening his eyes. “You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me, and I will kill you.”

At this repeat of Thor’s own words the thunderer looked stricken, taking a step back as if Loki had dealt him a physical blow.

But before he could come up with a reply Loki was already shaking his head and rising to his feet, a wave of his hand dismissing his wounding words. “No, I suppose that no longer matters.”

The sorcerer walked up to the separator between them and raised clenched fists, striking against the glass in a move that should’ve barely created a vibration but shattered the divider completely, sending alarms blaring and red lights flashing. In the other room the team collectively jumped to their feet, but a wave of Loki’s hand and green light barricaded the door, the magic dampener crumbling away as if it had never existed. Loki stepped delicately over the glass and approached Thor who had placed one hand of the hilt of his hammer, hopeful from Loki’s words to Natasha, but wary of his words to him.

However when Loki reached him it was not a knife he received, rather the younger brother embracing the older in a hug, drawing close and tucking his face into Thor’s neck as if looking for protection from the world. Surprise caused Thor to hesitate, but he quickly reciprocated, his eyes wet as he hugged his brother for the first time in years.

As the two stood there Loki spoke softly, this time repeating his own words, knowing what was to happen would seem to negate the absolute sincerity that he meant them with, but saying them all the same. "Sometimes I’m envious, but never doubt that I love you"

“I love you too Loki, always. And I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve caused you.” Thor replied, clutching Loki close as if it were the last time he would ever see him.

The sorcerer grinned largely into the others neck at this apology, but his smile was cracked and jagged, full of just as much pain as love. Thor may be sorry now, but Loki was aware that old habits thousands of years in the making were hard to break. Thor was a shining light, a truly good—though sometimes misguided—person. His cruelty came not on purpose, but through ignorance of those taken for granted. It wasn’t something that could be fought against or a fate that could be denied, because it reflected on both sides of the same coin, their coin. Thor was the light, and Loki was shadows, Thor was good, and so Loki was evil. That’s how it was, and how it ever would be, ‘til one or the other died. There was no path in which Thor would join Loki in his ‘villainy’, nor one where Loki would join Thor in his heroics.

All too soon for both of them, Loki was drawing back, taking a step away as if the physical distance could also be mental, attempting to separate himself from the tears that silently dripped down his face and mirrored the ones on Thor.

"You will make a great king, and in another life I would've been honored to stand by your side." Loki said, for a second his smile becoming one of real happiness before he took another step back and disappeared in a sliver of green smoke.

 

~*~

_“Gabriel? I need to speak with you” The man still in shades of green calls out, his voice decisive and resolute like it has not been in years, and yet so often in the past hour._

_“Ah, Loki! Good to see you, want some skittles? Oh no, probably not now, you look serious, have you decided then?” The formless voice that is Gabriel asks, starting out jovial and ending on a tinted somber tone._

_“I have.” Loki takes a deep breath before continuing, blinking up at the clear sky. “And I willingly consent.”_

_A bittersweet pause greets his words, echoing when Gabriel speaks.   “Thank you Loki. I promise you’ll have peace now” Gabriel whispers to his old friend._

_There is no pause before blinding white light envelops the sorcerer, streaming down from the heavens and delving deep into the mind and form of the jotun. When the light finally dies down, Loki’s eyes open, and the Trickster flashes a grin._

**Author's Note:**

> Supernatural Info:  
> Basically Gabriel's an archangel, and they can only interact with people when using a vessel--possessing a person--who has given consent. Because he's an archangel, when he takes a vessel the person inside is pushed down until they don't really exist anymore and he takes over completely. Let me know if that isn't a clear explanation, I always forget what other people do and don't know about things I know.
> 
> Constructive criticism is always welcome, and thanks for reading!!


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